Man 'freezes to death' making film about homelessness

Two men have been arrested in connection with the death of an English man believed to have died of hypothermia making a documentary about homelessness.

Lee Haplin, 26, was found dead inside a vacant hostel in Newcastle on Wednesday morning, Chronicle Live reports.

He had planned to make a documentary about homelessness and had been living on the city's streets for three nights before he was found.

In a video filmed before the experiment, Mr Haplin explained he wanted to prove his "fearlessness" to win a place on an investigative journalism program with Channel 4.

"I am about to go and spend a week being homeless in the West End of Newcastle. I will sleep rough, scrounge for my food, access all the services that other homeless individuals in the West End use. I will interact with as many homeless people as possible and immerse myself in that lifestyle as deeply as I can," he said.

In his final tweet on April 1, the magazine editor asked his more than 1400 followers: "If anyone has got an old phone I can have for a week, I'd be very grateful."

It is believed he died of hypothermia but it has yet to be confirmed.

The arrested men, aged 26 and 30, were reportedly suspected of supplying drugs to Mr Haplin.

They have been released on bail pending further investigations.

Temperatures in Newcastle dropped as low as -4.2C the night before Mr Haplin's body was discovered and friends have said he made the "ultimate sacrifice" trying to highlight the plight of homelessness.